Wheel making machine



Jan. 14, 1941. J. 11 CAIN WHEEL MAKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheei 1 FiledMarch 51, 1939 INVENTOYR JbsEPH f. (A/1v 'A TORNEYS.

Jan. 14, 194-1. J c g WHEEL MAKING MACHINE v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 51, 1959 ill) Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED- STATES WHEEL MAKINGMACHINE Joseph I. Cain, Rock Island, 111., assignor to French & Hecht,Incorporated, a corporation-of Iowa Application March 31, 1939, SerialNo. 265,177

7 Claims.

This invention relates to wheel making machines of the generalorganization represented in U. S. Letters Patent No. 640,548, wherein awheel hub and rim to be connected by spokes are. supported in themachine in concentric relation to one another and heated spokes insertedthrough aligned openings in the rim and huband upset endwisesimultaneously to head over the end of the spoke inside the hub and forma shoulder on the spoke to bear against the outer surface of the hub.While the present invention is adapted generally to the form of machineshown in the patent referred to, it finds its particular application inthe machines as shown and described in a copending U. S. applicationSer. No. 265,204, filed by John H. Ploehn, to which reference may be'hadfor a detailed understanding of the entire machine.

In these machines, the hub and rim are supported on a pivotally mountedgooseneck table, the lower arm of which is adapted to support the huband rim and the upper arm to carry a clamp for securing the hub inposition on the table. The machine is operated pneumatically, itssuccessive operations'during each cycle being controlled by valvesactuable by a foot treadle.

Initially, the table 'occupiesa position with its front end tiltedupward for the insertion of a spoke through the openings in the rim andhub,

and when the cycle of operation of the machine der to raise a pistontherein for actuating the vise jaws to clamp and hold the spoke againstmovement during the upsetting operation. After the spoke is clampedbetween the vise jaws, depression of the foot treadlethrough theremainder of its downward stroke causes the header inside the hub tomove forwardly toward the vise jaws to upset and head over 'theheatedend of the spoke against the inner surface of the hub. At the same time,the table supporting the hub moves in the same direction as the header,but only half as far, causing the por tion of the spoke between theoutside of the hub and the vise jaws to be upset to form the shoulder,the vise jaws being equipped with dies into which the displaced metalfiows and by which it is confined to force it against the outer surfaceof the hub and mold it to the desired shape. When the upsettingoperation is completed, relief of the pressure on the foot treadlepermits its return stroke and the machine operates by the Furtherdepression of the foot treadle effects the admission of air intoacylinexhaust of air from the header and vise jaw actuating cylinders toefiect the retraction of the table and header and the opening of thevise jaws to release the spoke, and by theadmission of air to thetable-lifting cylinder to tilt the front end of the'table to itsoriginal upper position so that the spoke clears the top edges of thevise jaws. The hub clamp is then released to permitthe turning of thehub and rim to the proper position for operation on another spoke. Theoperation of the machine as just set forth is repeated for eachsuccessive spoke. 4

In the operation of the machine, it is necessary to adjust the front-endof the table vertically to different set positions accordingto thelength of the hub to be operated upon or because of various angularitiesof the hub walls, which frequently are not parallel with the axis of thehub. When, as is sometimes the case, the spoke holes in the hub wallsare not uniformly located lengthwise of the hub (vertically when the hubis positioned on the table), it is necessary to vary the verticalposition ofthe front end of the table for each individual spoke. Theweight of the table is counterbalanced to'relieve the table liftingmechanism of the burden of overcoming the full weight of the table, andit frequently happens that the position of the table is such that whenpressure is applied through the table to upset and form a shoulder onthe spoke the pressureacts at a level-higher than the pivot point of therear end of the table. Consequently, the turning moment about the 'pivotcaused by such pressure is great enough to overcome the unbalancedWeight of the table and tends to lift the front end thereof, with theresult that the finished shoulder is not perfectly symmetrical and isoffset, thus producing a defective shoulder which is objectionable bothfrom the standpoint of strength and appearance.

It is the object of the present invention to the spoke during thespoke-upsetting operation 1 of the machine More specifically, theinvention provides a positive stop or table hold-down device which isautomatically operated in timed relation to the movement of the tablelifting piston to locate it in active and inactive positions. The stopis in the form of a pin adapted to be reciprocated by the movement ofthe vise jaw actuating piston to which it is connected, being moved byrising of the piston to locate it above the end of the table-liftingpiston rod when the latter is in its lowermost position and the table inits lower operative position where it presents a spoke between the visejaws. and being retracted. to inactive position when. the vise jawactuating piston descends to open the vise jaws.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, showing by the dot and dashlines the tilted position of the wheel supporting table;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine, partly in sectionand partly broken away to show the construction;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section to show theconstruction and showing the stop pin in active position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing the stop pin in inactiveposition; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view, taken approximately on the line 5 5 of Fig.3.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the machine comprises a base onwhich front, rear and intermediate pedestals 2, 3 and 4, respectively,are mounted and which support two horizontal parallel guide bars 5 (oneonly being shown) which are circular in cross-section, these partsconstituting the main frame of the machine. Mounted in the frame are thethree fundamental units of the machine, namely, the work supportingtable I with its associated hub-clamping ram 8 and lifting cylinder 9,the spoke-clamping vise jaws ID (one only being shown) and theiractuating cylinder II, and the header l2 and its actuating cylinder l3.

The table 1 comprises upper and lower arms I4 and I5, respectively,spaced apart vertically at the front and joined together at the rear bybolts l6 passing through flanges H on the arms and through spacingmembers l8 and |9 arranged between the rear ends of the table arms, the

member l9 being adapted to be replaceable by one of different thicknessto vary'the vertical distance between the arms l4 and I5 when desired.The lower arm |5 of the table is pivotally mounted at its front end onstuds 20 arranged in opposite sides of the front end of a slide 2| whichismounted for reciprocation on a plate 22 by which the table unit ispivoted as at 23 to a collar 24 on the rear pedestal 3. The weight ofthe table I is counterbalanced by a weight 25 supported at the rear ofthe machine on a rod 26 pivoted to the end of an arm 21 whose oppositeend is secured to the side of the spacing member |9 between the arms I4and I5 of the table, so that in operation the tablelifting and adjustingmeans are relieved of the burden of overcoming the full weight of thetable.

The upper arm M of the table carries the ram 8 for clamping a hub 28 onthe table, which ram is mounted for reciprocation in a fixed supportingbracket 29 secured to the forward end of the arm, and an air cylinder 30mounted on the top edge of the arm. The clamping ram 8 is connected tothe air cylinder 30 by a double arm lever 3| (one arm only being shown)pivoted to the upper table arm I 4 on a pin 32 intermediate the ram andthe air cylinder and extending rearwardly beyond its connection 33 withthe air cylinder,

the. free ends of the arms of the lever 3| being adapted to supportweights 34 to counterbalance the. weight of the ram. The ram 8, isactuated by a piston in the cylinder 30 and is under the control of asimple two-way valve 35 operable by the movement of a pull rod 36extending to- Ward the front of the machine.

Immediately in back of the front pedestal 2, the air cylinder II ismounted on the base I between depending arms 31 of the vise jaws I0,which arms 31 are rockably mounted each on one of the parallelhorizontal guide bars 5. The lower end of each of the arms 31 isconnected to the rod 38 of a piston within the cylinder II, thearrangement being such that when the piston rises, the lower ends of thearms 31 are forced outwardly in opposite directions to close the visejaws ID on a spoke 39 and, upon descent of the piston, the arms 31 arepulled toward one another to open the vise jaws l and release the spoke.

The table lifting mechanism comprises the air cylinder 9 with a piston40 therein having its rod 4| connected to the table slide 2| by verticalside links 42. The piston 40 rests on the cylinder head 43 when in itslower position and the piston rod 4| is screw threaded into a cross-head44 extending toward opposite sides of the machine and arranged to slidevertically on a pair of guide rods (not shown) secured at their lowerends in bosses on opposite sides of the cylinder 9 and at their upperends in a cross-head 45 which carries a stop 46 adapted to be engaged bythe end of the piston rod 4| for limiting the upward stroke of thepiston 4|]. The cross-head 45 is a rearward horizontal extension formedon the upper end of a vertically disposed bracket 41 mounted on theupper edges of the cylinder 9, and which bracket has tongue and grooveconnections with a guide 48 rigidly secured to the rear face of theintermediate pedestal 4 by bolts 49 and adapted for guiding thetable-lifting cylinder 9 as it is being adjusted. The lower ends of thelinks 42 are secured as at v|] to the opposite ends of the crosshead 44and extend upwardly through bearings 5| formed in the ends of theintermediate pedestal 4 and in which they are adapted to slidevertically but are restrained against movement in. any other direction.The upper ends of the links 42 are in the form of T-shaped heads 52formed each with an elongated slot 53 adapted to accommodate a roller 54mounted on a stud 55 secured to the table slide 2|. With thisarrangement, when air is admitted into the cylinder 9, the piston 40rises therein, carrying with it the cross-head 44 threaded on the pistonrod 4| and through the connecting links 42 raises the front end of thetable 1, which rocks about the pivot 23 by which the supporting plate 22is connected to the collar 24 on the rear pedestal 3. When air isexhausted from the cylinder 9 and the table I is in its lower operativeposition (full lines Fig. 1) and the slide 2| is reciprocated fore andaft to move the table during and after the spoke upsetting operation,the side links 42 are held in their vertical positions in the bearings5| and the rollers 54 run back and forth in the slots 53 in the heads 52of the links, thus permitting freedom of movement of the table slide 2|in a truly horizontal path and minimizing wear of the rela tively movingparts.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tablehold-down device comprises a stop pin 56 adapted to be projected to a.position above a nut 51 on the end of the'table lifting piston rod 4|when the table 1 is in its lower operative position, being moved by therise of the vise jaw actuating piston through a series of connectionsbetween the end of the piston rod 38 and the stop pin 56. The stop pin56is arranged to slide in a three-part bushing 58 arranged in a bearing 59formed inthe bracket 47 carried by the table-lifting cylinder 9 andextending through an opening 60 in the fixed guide 48 and intermediatepedestal 4 for freedom of movement vertically as the table-liftingcylinder 9 is adjusted. This manner of mounting the stop a pin 56maintains its relation to the end of the piston rod 4| which it overlieswhen in active position. At itsrear end, the stop pin 56 is bifurcatedto receive one end of a link 5| which is pivotally connected thereto bya pin 62, the

opposite end of the link 6l being connected to twin bell-crank levers 63(Fig. 5) pivotally mounted on opposite sides of a cross-head 64 on a pin55 passing through the cross-head and through bearings 66 formed on thebell-crank levers. The corresponding arms of the bellcrank levers 63 areparallel with one another, the forwardly extending arms 61 beingconnected to the end of the link 6| by a pin 68 passing through the endsof the arms and the link and 0 through spacers 69 between the arms andthe link. The rearwardly extending arms 10 of the bell-crank levers B3are connected to the lower ends of a pair of pendant links H disposed onopposite sides of the piston rod 38 and having their upper ends pivotedon a pin 12 passing through a bearing 13 on the end of the piston rod.The stop pin 55 is kept well lubricated to prevent binding, the threeparts of the bushing 58 in which it slides being slightly spaced fromone another to provide oil grooves 14; and in order to obviate theaccumulation of dirt and foreign matter on the stop pin when in itsretracted position, it is covered by a hood 15 secured by bolts 76 tothe intermediate pedestal 4.

In the operation of the machine, the stop pin 56 occupies the positionshown in Fig. 4 when the front end of the table I is in its raised(broken lines Fig. 1) position and the vise jaws I0 are open. However,after the table I has dropped to its lower (full lines Fig. l) operativeposition, as the piston in .the cylinder ll moves upwardly to close thevise jaws ID, the rising of the piston rod 33 carries with it the linksH which pull on the rear arms 10 of the bell-crank levers 63 and rockthe levers counter-clockwise about the pivot pin 55, moving the stop pin56 to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to locate the end of the stoppin directly above the nut 5! on the end of the table lifting piston rod4!. When the spoke upsetting operation is completed and the vise jawactuating piston descends to open the vise jaws ii], the parts arereturned to the position shown in Fig. 4, retracting the stop pin56 fromabove the nut 51 so that the table lifting piston 40 is free to risesubsequently and lift the front end of the table 7 to its tiltedposition.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by wayof example and in preferred form, but obviously many modifications andvariations may be made therein and in its mode of application which willstill be comprised within its spirit. For example, the invention isapplicable equally as well to machines for making wheel spiders, thatis, Wheel hubs with 05 spokes fastened. therein and to which the rim issecured subsequently. It is to be understood, therefore, that theinvention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, exceptinsofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a wheel spoke securing machine, the combination of a hub supportmovable vertically into and out of a lower working position, a pistonhaving a rod connected to the support for lifting it out of workingposition, the support being arranged to drop into its working positionby gravity, and a stop movable into position to engage the end of saidpiston rod when the support is in its working position to prevent upwardmovement of the support. a

2. In a wheel spoke securing machine, the combination of a hub supportmovable vertically into and out of a lower working position, a pistonhaving a rod connected to the support for lifting it out of workingposition, the support being arranged to drop into its working positionby gravity, and a stop movable automatically by a movable part of themachine into position to engage the end of said piston rod when thesupport is in its working position to prevent upward movement of thesupport.

3. In a wheel spoke securing machine, the combination of a pair ofspoke-clamping vise jaws, means for actuating the vise jaws, a hubsupport movable vertically by gravity into a lower working position topresent a spoke between the vise jaws,

a piston having a rod connected to the support for lifting the sup-portout of its working position, a stop movable into active position toengage the end of the piston rod when the support is: in its workingposition to prevent upward movement of the support, and connectionsbetween the stop and the vise jaw actuating means, whereby the stop ismoved into its active position when the vise jaws are closed to clampthe spoke and moved out of its active position when the vise jaws areopened to release the spoke.

4. In a wheel spoke securing machine, the combination of a pair ofspoke-clamping vise jaws, means for actuating the vise jaws, a hubsupport movable vertically by gravity into a lower working position topresent 2. spoke between the vise jaws, a piston having a rod connectedto the support for lifting the support out of its working position, areciprocable stop pin movable into active position to engage the end ofthe piston rod when the support is in. its working position to preventupward movement of the support, and connections between the stop pin andthe vise jaw actuating means to effect the reciprocation of the stoppin.

5. A combination according to claim 4, wherein the vise jaws areactuated by a piston having a rod connected to the jaws, and wherein thestop pin is connected with the vise jaw actuating piston rod by leverand link connections.

6. A combination according to claim 4, wherein the wheel support and itslifting piston are adjustable vertically, and wherein the stop pin ismounted for reciprocation in a bearing formed in a bracket adjustablealong with said lifting piston, whereby the stop pin occupies a fixedposition relatively to said lifting piston in any adjusted positionthereof.

7. In a wheel spoke securing machine, the combination of a hub supportmovable into and out of working position, mechanism for moving the hubsupport, holding means actuable to engage said moving mechanism to holdthe support in its working position, and a movable part of the machineseparate and distinct from the support and its moving mechanism foractuating said holding means in timed relation to the movement of thesupport.

JOSEPH I. CAIN.

